Cedar Crest College is a liberal arts college for women dedicated to the education of the next generation of leaders. Cedar Crest College educates the whole student, preparing women for life in a global community.

This program is designed to give traditional students practical professional experience that is relevant to their field of study and systematically aligned with their course work. A rigorous application process will include evidence of prior achievement, demonstration of leadership, academic accomplishment, and interviews with business faculty and site supervisors. If accepted, a student will be assigned a faculty and site advisor to coordinate her cooperative education experience. She will then have four work experiences with a single sponsoring company beginning in her sophomore year. Two of these experiences will be part time during the fall and spring semesters and two will be full time during the summers after sophomore and junior years. A company may provide scholarship funding for a student assigned to their organization.

This program is closely tied to Cedar Crest’s leadership mission, allowing students to frame their understanding of what it means to be a leader in the business world, and motivating them to go beyond their business education to employ their quantitative, interpersonal and writing skills for the benefit of their sponsoring company. As the student progresses through her co-op experience, her on-site responsibilities will evolve from activities that are based on observing to those focused on doing, and finally on managing and leading.

Sponsoring companies will be recruited locally, nationally, and globally, and sponsors will be encouraged to give students the broadest range of experiences possible, and will include the full range of possibilities, from large regional companies to small, innovation-driven employers. While this program is developing students into tomorrow’s business leaders it is also positioning Cedar Crest as a leader in business education with the companies with which it partners.